Commander of NATO's Allied Air Command visits Iceland

General James B. Hecker commander of NATO's Allied Air Command (AIRCOM) and the US Air Force Europe (USAFE) is visiting Iceland. Hecker met with Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir, Minister for Foreign Affairs, where they discussed the war in Ukraine, NATOs enhanced deterrence and defence in the importance of Iceland for maintaining situational awareness in the North-Atlantic. 

"We discussed the evolving security situation and how NATO is adapting, particularly air defence and air surveillance. Iceland contributes to the security of the Alliance by operating the Radar and Communications sites that play an important role for maintaining situational awareness in the skies above the North-Atlantic," said Minister Gylfadottir. 

General Hecker visited the Kefavik Air Base, the NATO Radar and Communications sites on Bolafjall and met with the US Bomber Task Force operating out of Keflavík. 

"This has been a fruitful visit to Iceland, a founding member of NATO a long-standing Ally of the United States," said General Hecker.  "It has been valuable to see the extent of NATO infrastructure that is operated by the Iceland, such as the remote NATO Radar and Communication Sites, which form an important contribution to air domain situational awareness in a strategically important region. I have also had the pleasure of visiting the B2 Bomber. We are grateful to our Icelandic partners for enabling this deployment, and to the professional Icelandic Coast Guard that provides host nation support in Keflavik."